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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Question about uterine cancer?

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    • marinabunny
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        Ok I know I should be worried about Fluffy’s GI issues right now but this has always been in the back of my mind and its bothering me. Exactly 1 year ago Fluffy was spayed at the age of 3 (almost 4) and she was bleeding/passing blood clots, some of you might remember. We had her spayed and they found multiple blood clots in her uterine horns but no tumors or anything like that. They asked if we wanted to send out the uterus for biopsy to check for uterine cancer, but we didn’t and I regret it so so much! And we were warned about possible spreading if there was cancer. My question is, if Fluffy had uterine cancer that had metastasized would she be alive today? Im asking this because whenever we have tests done they always come back normal, we even did x-rays(not a chest one tho) and an ultrasound. But at the same time it seems she has gotten less active over the year, and not as playful as she once was. I thought this might’ve been because of her dental issues and urine pooling in her vaginal vault (which she had surgery for about 2 weeks ago). But even after these problems were fixed she still seems not herself. I thought age could be a factor as well, but again im not sure.

         

        So what would be the best way to find out if she had uterine cancer that spread… via chest x-ray? further bloodwork? Also what are your thoughts, Would she still be alive all this time?

        Its just something that terrifies me!


      • Kokaneeandkahlua
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          oh wow you have really been through a lot with her!

          I think usually bloodwork is typical to check for cancer, there are certain markers but it depends on the type. I would just discuss the symptoms with your vet and see what she thinks-it could just be you are worrying and she could put your mind at ease by just hearing all the symptoms you are noticing.


        • LongEaredLions
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            ((((Vibes)))) for Fluffy-I know you have been through a lot with her.
            I thought of age too, but 4-5 is not really that old. I agree with k&k that talking to your vet about your concerns would probably be best at this point. Hugs.


          • Sarita
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              Definitely talk with the vet about this…they would be the best resource to answer this question.


            • marinabunny
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                Thanks, I will call the vet once Fluffy is done with her course of medications. Ive been calling almost every day for the past few weeks due to her stasis… you can tell the front desk ladies are annoyed by now, they recognize my voice as soon as I call lol.

                It just scares me because it is a very real situation. Especially when I think about how “off” she has been in the past year…lying down a lot, not wanting to run much,etc. On top of that I have been hearing these weird sneezy noises for a long time now, they sound more like a sniff… and im aware uterine cancer spreads to the lungs first. Although she always presents “normal” when she goes to the vet


              • Beka27
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                  I agree to follow up with your vet (as you’ve been doing!), but I’m also wondering if she isn’t just calming down and getting very comfortable with her surroundings.


                • marinabunny
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                    Beka- I thought that too at first but her other behaviours (i.e. looking painful, eyes half closed and at times, loss of appetite) make me think its more serious


                  • Beka27
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                      Oh… sorry to hear that there are other things going on too. I wish they just didn’t have to get older and sick… :o(


                    • marinabunny
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                        I know.. and what bugs me is that she isn’t even that old yet, only 4 and already has a myriad of problems I just want atleast another good 2-3 years with her


                      • Megabunny
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                          Well, I agree with you about the chest x-ray. But certainly the vet would know.
                          Don’t beat yourself up about not doing the biopsy. I don’t believe you could have/would have done anything differently anyway. It’s not like you would just assume it was cancer catching up with her. You’d be trying to find that out. I’m sorry. I’m tired and probably not making sense, but hopefully you know what I mean.
                          I’m confused about how the urine could get in the uterine tract you keep referring to but, anyway, keep us posted. You’re doing all you can and it sounds like you’re being very smart about things


                        • marinabunny
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                            To be honest, I don’t really understand about the urine myself, its confusing. All I caught was that urine was pooling into a space next to her bladder (vaginal/cervix area) and just collecting there. So they took her uterine stump and tied it off higher to stop the urine from going there.

                            An update- She seemed in pain again today, also shes starting to urinate a lot again and did a few puddles outside the litter box. The surgery was supposed to fix that…


                          • MoxieMeadows
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                              ((((Vibes for Fluffy)))) and (((Hugs))) for you!


                            • Megabunny
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                                Poor baby. What a puzzle. So very sorry she’s continued with problems.


                              • marinabunny
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                                  Ok the vet got back to me. She said she doesn’t think fluffy would have cancer because in the bunnies she’s seen spaying usually solves the problem. But I asked anyway about how to diagnose it… first she said abdominal ultrasound (which we already did) but then I had to “remind” her that uterine cancer often spreads to the lungs, so she said we can do chest X-rays for $230. If we add in bloodwork which may or may not show anything it’ll be $440. On a second note, fluffys started to leak again and her bottom is stained in urine, the surgery was atleast supposed to reduce this but it seems to have made no difference.

                                  And I can tell she’s in pain but I can’t figure out from what… urine, spinal issue, teeth?(they were filed tho, but no X-ray to see roots). This is what vets can’t seem to figure out either despite all the tests we’ve done. I mean, what would you do in my place? Go ahead with $440 worth of chest X-rays & blood which might not even show anything considering we’ve done a full abdominal ultrasound that assessed kidneys, bladder, reproductive area, liver, that came back normal asides from urine pooling. And bloodwork was already done in August which was normal as well.

                                  here’s the things weve found from tests so far: a tiny faded dot & spinal irregularity from body X-rays, urine pooling in vaginal vault from doing an ultrasound, and molar spurs from a physical exam. The spurs and urine issue were taken care of, or atleast supposed to bc she’s now still leaking urine, and the white dot on the X-ray they were never able to tell us exactly what it was. The spine thing we were just told to try metacam, but the spinal issue doesn’t impede her mobility or anything. Given these results, do u think its any of these that caused her to totally change in a year…because the vet cannot seem to figure it out and everytime they do X-rays they’re not 100% sure & need a second opinion. I’m hesitant to even put out the money for the chest X-rays bc I feel that they’re not going to be able to interpret them and just say “oh everything’s fine”


                                • Sarita
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                                    Well the spinal issue very well could impeded her motility so that she cannot posture correctly to urinate…


                                  • marinabunny
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                                      It drives me crazy everything seems to be fine at the vets but at home she’s always sick! I have considered a veterinary college since we can’t seem to get a proper diagnosis, but its $200 just to see them and my mom wouldn’t be willing to drive the long way there


                                    • Sarita
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                                        I guess my question is this – do any of these problems keep her from eating, relaxing, or keep her from having a good quality of life?


                                      • marinabunny
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                                          Yes, she seems lethargic, never wants to play, sometimes more picky about hay. In fact I had to switch the hay from timothy to orchard grass to get her to eat. She is just not the same bunny she used to be. Always tired-seeming & has bouts of pain. I thought at first about the spinal thing but she walks perfectly fine and can even jump when she wants to- it doesn’t seem to impede her mobility at all. In fact she’ll sit RIGHT outside the litter box & will visibly lift her tail to let out a stream of urine… she wont even bother to go in the litter box yet I know she is perfectly capable of jumping in. The vet has never mentioned more about this and the connection to her urine problems. They only said to try metacam, which she has taken on & off for a while and it didnt improve anything.


                                        • Sarita
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                                            Well, it is possible that these behaviors (the seeming lethargic and not wanting to play) are just age related. Being picky about the hay could be the dental problem.

                                            How do you know when she is in pain?


                                          • marinabunny
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                                              I thought she wasn’t that old enough yet to be acting this way. And I feel like she is in pain because she’ll be standing there with her eyes half closed and will be kind of unresponsive… shes just not as “perky” if you know what I mean. I have seen teeth grinding as well. And this only started a few months ago it wasn’t like it was a gradual slowing down with age, it was more sudden.

                                              She did have her teeth filed so she should be covered for pain in that sense? Unless its a root problem which we didn’t check.


                                            • ohbonobogirl
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                                                Could it possibly be kidney issues? When she pees, is the pee normal bunny colored or much more dilute, like water or weak lemonade. My little guy had normal bloodwork in Dec. but kidney failure in April. The biggest thing I noticed at first was the lethargy, just not seeming like himself. Just a thought…


                                              • Megabunny
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                                                  I’m going to go out on a limb here and publicly say that I would not continue investing money into this. If they say it’s cancer, it sounds like you’d be considering putting her to sleep. Yet, if it’s not cancer you’re going to…? Sounds like you’re entering the “heroics” stage of this and while she’s absolutely adorable and this is tragically sad…truly…what is any more work going to change, except putting her through more and more tests and procedures? When you feel she is mostly in pain and unhappy and just a shell of her former self, it’s time. But if you’re not sure, keep trying, but I would really stop with any further tests. You’ve been so wonderful to her and are doing everything. Noone could ask you to do more…except the vet, who sounds like they are trying to appease you with the offered work-ups, but I’m not sure they really feel you should either, from what you’re saying. It’s a very hard decision and when they are eating and moving around and responding to you, it motivates you to keep trying. Listen to your heart. It’s a tough choice. Maybe some day the decision will be made for you. That’s what happened to us with the last bun we kept going. We had no idea she was that far gone. But we found her collapsed around noon, after she’d eaten breakfast and seemed fine. Before we could reach a vet, she was gone. This is a hugely difficult situation for a kid to be in and I hope you have support at home as well in getting through this. Thanks for keeping us in the loop


                                                • marinabunny
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                                                    Ohbonobogirl- yes I have thought of that, the last time she had blood work was Aug 2014 so it has been a while. She does sometimes do that dilute lemonade pee you speak of and also drinks a lot. Except the kidneys looked normal in the ultrasound they did last month.

                                                    Megabunny- I know, I just keep holding on to the thought that *maybe* whatever she has is treatable and maybe we can do something to help her. It just makes me feel guilty seeing her like that and not being able to do anything, and at the same time she gives me these rays of hope by jumping on the couch and running to me for treats. I don’t think she is at the point yet where she needs to be put down, she still seems to be fighting and ill keep trying as long as she is. But I think you’re right about the tests, I know that nothing’s going to come of them like always. I guess my last shot is the x-rays and bloodwork, and then I’ll let her be & just ask for a diff pain med. Part of the reason why it’s so hard for me to accept this is because she’s still young and I don’t want her to leave yet


                                                  • Megabunny
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                                                      Oh I totally understand. My fuzzy lop was a youngster and sweetest thing out there, and I just had to keep trying, though I really didn’t do TONS of work up for her, because I wasn’t going to do anything different anyway. She was a ton of work and a ton of expense in the 6 short months we had her, but we just really loved her.
                                                      Just don’t make yourself broke on tests that aren’t going to do anything except MAYBE let you put a name to the problem. Sounds like an insane amount of money they are quoting you, but I know prices vary wildly from place to place. Do what you feel you need to do. I’ve just never been one who has to put a name to the problem if it’s not going to change things. But I find most people on BB don’t agree with that. I’ll be eager to continue reading how things work out. I think that’s great she can still get around and jump on the couch. She’s a fighter!

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                                                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Question about uterine cancer?